Reason?
by songandsilence
Summary: Mal.” The voice whispered in the darkness – he couldn’t find his damn light – made him instantly stop. - Mal/Inara fluff!


AN: Just some Mal/Inara fluuuuff. To make up for creating mass devastation with my other fic, 'A Shore Never Reached'. Here you go!

**Reason?**

When the door to his bunk was thrown open with a mighty clang, Mal awoke from a deep slumber instantly, and not happily. Fumbling for a lamp, he mumbled something about privacy.

"Mal."

The voice whispered in the darkness – he couldn't find his damn light – made him instantly stop. Her voice sounded exciting and breathy…and like it was getting nearer to him.

"'Nara? What are you doin' down he – "

"Shut up, Mal."

Suddenly she was on top of him, pushing his shoulders back and all but throwing herself onto his body. He fell back in shock, taken completely unawares in the blackness, and hissed in a breath as he felt her body – her _body_ – come in to full contact with his own. _Yesu_ he was glad he hadn't worn a shirt to sleep.

Her lips touched his, and he stopped thinking altogether. She tasted like something mildly smoky, and her lips were a little chapped. His brain barely registered that as odd before it shut down for good. Her hands were everywhere – running through his hair, cupping his jaw, scraping across his chest – and her hair was falling around him like a curtain. He could feel all of the wondrous curves of her body pressed against his like he never had before…and it was driving him crazy. She was so small compared to him, so delicate. Well, she would be delicate if she weren't attacking his neck with her teeth and dragging her nails across his hip bones. Mal couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips.

"Inara." Her name worked its way out of his mouth through clenched teeth, and he wrapped his arms around her, dragging her closer to him. She was working her way down his neck, but he pulled her back up so he could kiss her for real this time. And he did. He kissed her like he'd been wanting to for months now (well, okay, maybe more than that) – open mouth, tongue, wet lips, and a whole lot of feeling that they'd been denying themselves for a long time. Lately, it had been hard enough for them to work up to kisses much more chaste than this. And yet here she was, on top of him in the middle of the night on his narrow little bed, kissing the breath out of him.

The darkness must have added to it. He could barely see her – not that his eyes were open – so he had to rely on touch alone, and was therefore touching every inch of her he could reach. The curls tumbling over her shoulders, the dip of her back, the curve of her hips…it was almost more than a man could handle.

"Mal," she whispered hotly against his lips, "Mal, I want to make love to you."

That stopped things in their tracks.

Mal jerked his head back so hard he hit it on the wall and swore. Inara just blinked at him, her face barely visible. He groped for the light and switched it on. They both squinted against the harsh light and Inara sat up. Mal stared at her – at her flushed cheeks, her swollen lips and the silky nightgown slipping off her shoulder. He swallowed.

"You…uh, you're kiddin', right?"

She blinked again, startled, and the flush on her cheeks deepened. Furrowing her brow, she said, "N – well, I mean…I – you don't want to?" The look on her face was guarded and a little hurt. _Go se_, had anyone ever said no to her before?

"No – 'Nara, I – gorramit, I want to more than – well, let's just say there ain't a lot that could hold me back." He swiped a hand across his face and then saw her furrow her brows.

"Then why did you just ask if I was _kidding_?"

Mal took a deep, steadying breath and tried not to think about the weight of her on his lap, the way her silky nightgown dipped between her breasts. Cursing silently in his head, he thought very carefully about what he was going to say next.

"'Nara, there ain' nothin' in this 'verse I want more than you right now, but…I don't want this to be completely humped." She stared at him, offense starting to creep onto her face. "You – us – _we_ mean more to me than a quick screw." He reached up and put a hand on her cheek, sweeping back under her hair to the back of her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed. "We've messed up a lot in the past. I just think we should take our time, is all." There, that hadn't been too terrible, had it?

Inara didn't say anything for a long time. But then she opened her eyes and looked up, and there was something in her gaze that Mal was too afraid to put a name to. She smiled a little.

"Alright."

Mal let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding, and a large grin broke across his face. She smiled too, and leaned in to press a light kiss to his lips. His hands tangled in her hair as her mouth drifted across his cheek towards his ear. He almost lost it altogether when she lightly bit and tugged at his earlobe. His breath escaped his mouth in a hiss.

"But I might make you regret that decision." Her breath was hot on his ear, and he shuddered.

Then, she got up off his lap and smiled playfully at him. "Good night, Mal." Pulling the strap of her nightgown over her shoulder again, she turned and sauntered out of the room, leaving a gaping Mal in her wake.


End file.
